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“Tonic Seed” is a term used by canary breeders to denote the black oil seeds that canaries love and all baby birds find so appealing during the weaning process. Tonic Seeds have thin, brittle hulls that are easily removed by the still soft “baby” beaks of your weaning chicks under the age of 5 weeks. They are the energy seed so important during breeding and molting because they contain the “fats” which offer the most efficient conversion to energy ratio during the time when extremely high energy demands are being placed upon your birds.

Tonic Seeds also contain the amino acids, Methionine and Lysine, which are essential for good reproduction and feathering. These 2 amino acids are lacking in most other seed types, however they are the most important parts of the protein equation during the breeding and molting season. It is also important to make sure that these oil seeds are no more than 3% of the total diet each day, as the high oil content can lead to obesity in birds confined to small cages during the breeding season.

Our Tonic Seed mix contains Rape, Niger and Black Lettuce seed. It is important to note that while birds love these seeds added to their diet, most commercial Breeding and Molting supplements made for our caged birds have added the amino acids, Methionine and Lysine. The addition of these seeds to your bird’s diet during breeding and molting become much more important if you are not using commercially formulated supplements, but are choosing to feed nutrient rich foods instead.